1 9 4 2
May
6th Build completion and commenced Acceptance
Trials
9th Commissioned for service.
On
completion of trials and storing took passage to Scapa Flow for work-up with
ships of Home Fleet.
Commenced
Work-up
June Work -up in continuation in North Sea and NW Approaches.
20th Deployed with HM Cruiser
CURACOA and screen of 5 destroyers as Force X.
Escorted
Dummy convoy of Auxiliary Minelayers from 1st Minelaying and colliers as a
diversion during passage of Russian Convoy PQ17 (Operation ES)
See
Naval Staff History MINING.
July Nominated
for detached duty from Home Fleet in support of Malta relief convoy.
(Operation
PEDESTAL - For details see THE BATTLE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN
by
Donald
MacIntyre, PEDESTAL by P Smith and Naval Staff History).
31st Deployed with HM Aircraft Carrier VICTORIOUS
and HM Cruiser PHOEBE to join HM
Aircraft
Carriers EAGLE, INDOMITABLE and ARGUS, HM Cruisers PHOEBE in Atlantic
August Took
part in exercises in fighter direction and multiple carrier operations.
(Exercise
BERSERK - See RADAR AT SEA by D Howse.).
9th Part of Force Z with HM Battleships
NELSON and RODNEY, HM Aircraft Carriers
VICTORIOUS,
INDOMITABLE and EAGLE, HM Cruisers CHARYBDIS and
PHOEBE,
screened by destroyers from Force H and Home Fleet to provide cover
for
passage of Convoy WS21S to Sicilian Narrows from Gibraltar.
20th Passage from Gibraltar to Freetown with HM Cruiser PHOEBE, HM Destroyers
QUENTIN
and VANSITTART for convoy defence.
24th Escorted rms QUEEN
ELIZABETH to USA with HMS PHOEBE, HM Destroyers QUENTIN,
VIMY, VANSITTART and PATHFINDER.
September Deployed
for convoy defence in southern Atlantic and Indian Ocean.
Detached
with HMS PHOEBE to assist South African Naval Force in establishing a patrol for
the interception of blockade runners.
October Deployed
with HMS PHOEBE for convoy defence and anti submarine patrols in South
Atlantic.
23rd Escorted damaged cruiser HMS PHOEBE to Pointe Noire after torpedo
attack.
November Nominated
for support of allied landings in North Africa (Operation TORCH)
See
ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY and Naval Staff History for details
Took passage to
Gibraltar to join Force
H.
8th Deployed to north of Algiers with HM Battleship DUKE OF YORK, HM Battlecruiser
RENOWN,
HMS VICTORIOUS, HMS FORMIDABLE, HM Cruisers ARGONAUT and
BERMUDA to prevent any
surface interference during landings.
25th Joined 12th Cruiser Squadron and deployed
as Force Q for defence of convoy traffic to and
from Algerian ports and interception of enemy convoys.
December Force
Q deployment in continuation..
2nd In action with HM Cruisers ARGONAUT and
AURORA against convoy of troopships in
Sicilian Channel. Escorting Italian destroyer FOLGARE and all
mercantiles were sunk.
1 9 4 3
January
1st Deployed with HM Cruisers AURORA, ARGONAUT
and DIDO in Force Q for offensive
patrols and interception of enemy supply convoys.
7th Escorted HM Cruiser Minelayer ABDIEL to
Bone from Gibraltar prior to minelay in Skerki
Bank area.
(Note:
Deployed with HM Cruiser DIDO to cover minelay)
During
air attacks on return passage HM Destroyer QUENTIN was sunk)
February Squadron
deployment as Force Q in western and central Mediterranean for offensive patrol and
support.
(Note:
Operated with HMS DIDO in rotation with HMS AURORA and HMS ARGONAUT
to maintain continuous patrols.)
March
12th In action against German E-Boats off Bizerta with HMS AURORA, H M Destroyers
LIGHTNING
and LOYAL during which HMS LIGHTNING was sunk.
April Deployment in central Mediterranean in continuation.
to (Note:
During this period enemy forces were defeated in North Africa).
May
June Nominated
for support of planned allied landings in Sicily.
(Operation
HUSKY - For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by
C.
Barnett and Naval Staff History).
July
9th Stationed south of Sardinia with HM Battleships KING GEORGE
V and HOWE and H M
Cruiser
DIDO screened by HM Destroyers JERVIS, PANTHER, PATHFINDER, PENN,
PALADIN and PETARD.
(Note:
These ships were acting as a Reserve covering force in case of action by Italian
surface forces involving the main covering force deployed in
the central
Mediterranean).
Detached with HMS DIDO to carry out bombardment in support of military
operations.
10th Sailed from Bone with
HMS DIDO and provided naval gunfire support at Marsala, Sicily.
(Operation
FRACTURE)
31st Bombarded Vibo
Valentia on west coast of Italy with HM Cruisers DIDO, EURYALUS
as
preliminary to allied landings on mainland.
August Carried
naval gunfire support for military operations in Sicily.
Based in Malta.
September
8th Embarked troops of 1st British Airborne
Division at Bizerta with HM Cruisers AURORA,
PENELOPE, DIDO and ABDIEL for passage to Taranto.
(Operation
SLAPSTICK).
9th Joined HM Battleships KING GEORGE V and
HOWE, HM Cruisers AURORA, PENELOPE,
DIDO, ABDIEL and USS BOISE at Taranto.
(Note:
During this operation to occupy Taranto HMS ABDIEL was sunk in harbour
by a mine with heavy loss of life).
17th Relieved HM Cruisers MAURITIUS and ORION
providing naval gunfire support during allied
landings at Salerno.
(Operation
AVALANCHE - See above references).
18th Damaged by near misses in air attacks but
remained operational.
25th Returned to Malta.
October Transferred
to Aegean for support of British operations
to occupy islands after Italian surrender.
4th Deployed in Aegean Spa with HM Cruisers
AURORA, PENELOPE and DIDO to intercept
German invasion craft.
(For
details see WAR IN THE AEGEAN by P. Smith and E. Walker)
6th In action against invasion convoy and escorts
south of Levita with HMS PENELOPE
and HM Destroyers FAULKNOR and FURY
Submarine
Chaser UJ2111 and all ships in convoy sunk or set on fire
. 7th Returned to Alexandria with HMS FAULKNOR and HMS FURY escorting
damaged cruiser
HMS PENELOPE.
Under heavy air attack during passage through Scarpanto Strait.
17th Deployed in Aegean with HM Destroyers PATHFINDER, ECLIPSE
and BEAUFORT.
Reinforced HMS AURORA and destroyers in support of military operations.
Bombarded
Cos harbour with HMS AURORA. Under heavy and sustained air
attack.
Hit
by 250 Kg bomb on quarterdeck and further 4 near misses causing fires aft.
Major damage to armament and radar aerials from splinters.
14 of ship's company were killed
and 30 wounded.
(See
FIGHTING DESTROYER by G. Connell and WAR IN THE AEGEAN).
Returned to
Alexandria.
November Passage
to Massawa and taken in hand for repair.
December Under repair.
1 9 4 4
January Under
repair
February
19th Repair work completed.
March Prepared
for further service in Mediterranean.
April Passage to Naples to join 15th Cruiser
Squadron.
May Deployed in central Mediterranean for support of
military operations in Italy.
Nominated
for support of allied landings in Normandy and took passage to Clyde.
20th Arrived in Clyde for service with
Home Fleet.
(Operation
NEPTUNE).
(Note:
Home Fleet ships carried out bombardment exercises in NW Approaches).
June Deployed
as Reserve Bombardment Ship for Eastern Task Force with HMS RODNEY.
(For
details of naval activities prior to and during Operation NEPTUNE see book
of that name by K Edwards and LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, June 1944
(HMSO)).
Passage to Channel area before assault.
4th Operation delayed 24 hours.
5th Deployed in Channel
area.
7th Sailed from Solent with HMS RODNEY
for naval support gunfire during Build up Phase.
Provided AA cover for HM Cruiser FROBISHER during bombardment off SWORD Beach.
July When
released from NEPTUNE took passage to resume duties in Mediterranean with
Squadron.
Nominated
for support of allied landings in South of France (Operation DRAGOON)
(Note:
Operation DRAGOON was under overall US Naval Command).
August Deployed
at Naples in Reserve with French cruiser JEANNE D'ARC.
23rd Nominated for relief of HM Cruiser AURORA
and took passage to Toulon to join
Bombardment Group off Toulon.
24th Joined bombarding force off Toulon as relief foe HMS AURORA.
Took part in bombardment of St Madrier forts.
(For
details see INVASION OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE (HMSO) ).
30th Released from US Command with HMS DIDO.
Resumed
RN control by CinC Mediterranean.
September Mediterranean deployment with Squadron in continuation.
13th Represented UK as Flagship during ceremonial entry
of allied fleet at Toulon.
October Transferred
to British Aegean Force to support military operations to reoccupy
Aegean Islands and Greek mainland
(Operation MANNA).
15th At Athens.
27th Landed troops on Diskopi.
November Deployed
with Squadron in eastern Mediterranean for support of military.
December Support deployment in continuation
18th Embarked naval personnel from Mitylene
1 9 4 5
January Transferred
with Squadron to Malta in continuation of Support duties.
(Note:
Provided accommodation for Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden and the U S
Secretary of State during discussions in Malta prior to tine
conference at Yalta).
February Mediterranean
support duties based in Malta with Squadron.
to
May
June Remained
in Mediterranean after VE Day Fleet duties and support
of operations
to in
Adriatic and Aegean.
August (Note:
Extensive training of ships for service in Far East was carried out in the Mediterranean
until the end of hostilities.